Frank Lampard is relishing the prospect of getting Dele Alli back to his best after making the England international his first signing since taking over as Everton manager.
Alli arrived at Everton in a shock deadline day transfer after Tottenham Hotspur allowed the midfielder to leave after seven years at the club.
The MK Dons academy graduate forged a reputation as one of the best young players in the world during his first three seasons with Spurs, scoring 46 goals in 146 games.
But since the 2018 World Cup, where he scored and helped England reach the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years, Alli's form has waned.
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But still only 25, Lampard believes he has not lost any of the talent that made him such a force for club and country.
The new Blues boss said: "I watched Dele come through - fantastic player. Maybe he's had difficult times - I will make no bones about that and nor would he. But there can be so many reasons for that and my job now is to start with a fresh slate with him.
"To have him in an environment that suits and supports him but also pushes him, so that we can extract the player we know is there. All the attributes, talent and technique is still there.
"It's hard when he's such a big name and such a top player to do it quietly but our job now is to get to work - and allow him to express his talent."
Alli has often been compared to Lampard, one of the best players of his generation and Chelsea's all-time top scorer with 211 goals in 648 appearances.
Asked about the comparison, Lampard said: "I think we're different. I think it's an easy comparison because we're both goalscoring midfielders.
"But I think in terms of our positions on the pitch, I started a bit deeper, whereas with Dele I think from a higher position he can be more effective - he particularly was in his early Tottenham years when he played just off Harry Kane.
"But he is a versatile player who can get involved in link-up play and can arrive from deeper areas. I'm very interested to work closely with him and to how we can bring out all the talent he has."
Alli became Everton's second arrival on deadline day after they completed a loan move for Donny van de Beek from Manchester United.
The duo will be cup-tied for Lampard's first game in charge of the Blues at home to Brentford in the FA Cup on Saturday.
But they will come into contention for the crucial Premier League trip to big-spending Newcastle United on Tuesday.
With Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph both on the sidelines, midfield reinforcements were desperately needed.
But Lampard hinted that his new signings, and particularly Van de Beek, will be important to the changes he wants to make.
The Everton manager said: "It was an area of pitch (we had to strengthen) with Doucoure injured, hopefully not for too long.
"But I think in terms of the style, and how we want to move the team to play in slightly a different way, a player like Donny can link the play and can receive the ball in different areas, and has the confidence and intelligence to play and move the ball.
"I think he's a slightly different profile of player to what we already have in midfield."
